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Bill C-42, the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, received Royal Assent
On June 18, 2015, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Steven Blaney, highlighted the Royal Assent of the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act.This legislation amends the Firearms Act and the Criminal Code.
The associated news release is available at: The Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act receives Royal Assent
For more information, call the CFP toll-free information line at 1-800-731-4000.

Government of Canada Extends Firearms Regulatory Compliance Measures
The Government of Canada has announced the extension, until May 16, 2017, of two firearms regulatory compliance incentives:

New Possession Only Licence (POL) initiative - Allows eligible holders of an expired POL to apply for a new POL.

Amnesty - Applies to individual owners of non-restricted firearms who have expired firearms licences. Provided these individuals are attempting to come back into firearms licensing compliance, this amnesty gives them the opportunity to do so without risk of prosecution.

For further information, please contact the RCMP Canadian Firearms Program at
1-800-731-4000.

Supreme Court of Canada decision
On March 27, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision regarding the non-restricted firearms registration records for residents of Quebec. The Court dismissed Quebec's appeal and refused to order the transfer of non-restricted firearms registration records.
The Canadian Firearms Program will comply with the Supreme Court of Canada decision and the Ending the Long-gun Registry Act. As a result of this decision, the Canadian Firearms Program has stopped accepting and processing registration/transfer applications for non-restricted firearms from within the province of Quebec, and will execute the deletion of non-restricted registration records as soon as possible.

Your source for firearms services and information

The Canadian Firearms Program combats the illicit movement of firearms and provides support and training to police and the criminal justice system. It also manages universal licensing of firearms users, a system which supports individual use of firearms for hunting and various recreational purposes. And the CFP maintains national firearms safety training standards: over 1 million Canadians have now completed the CFP's Canadian Firearms Safety Course. All information is recorded for public safety purposes in the Canadian Firearms Information System (CFIS), which is managed by the RCMP.

Show me some numbers!

The CFP has developed a new and more robust performance and statistical information package. The new "Performance Information" is posted quarterly, and provides new information as well as historical data which shows the CFP's evolution and contribution to public safety.

There are almost 1.9 million firearms licence holders in Canada

While the vast majority of firearm owners are responsible and comply with the law, over 22,000 firearms licences have been refused or revoked by the CFP for public safety reasons. Most revocations are due to court orders following a conviction.

The CFP is the source of firearms information for front-line police

If a police officer gets a call that may involve firearms, the CFP is there to help. The Canadian Firearms Registry Online (CFRO) contains information on all firearms licence holders as well as registered firearms. CFRO is a check that officers can use prior to attending a call, and is currently being accessed more than 14,000 times a day.

How else does the CFP promote a safe and secure Canada?

Continuous eligibility screening — If a licensed individual is the subject of a police report involving violence that is recorded on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), an interface between CPIC and the CFP database ensures that a report is automatically sent to the Chief Firearms Officer of their province or territory for further review and investigation.

Enhanced screening is an initiative under which trained CFP staff speak directly with a firearms licence applicant and their references to gain more comprehensive knowledge about the applicant.

A national program — Decisions regarding firearms licences apply everywhere in Canada, eliminating public safety gaps.